Cow and calf to auction

Today I took Diamond and her calf to the livestock auction in Missoula.   The calf was born last August 25, 2021.  She is big enough to be sold now.  Since Diamond had her calf late, and I don't want to go through having another late calf this year and selling that calf next year, and I plan to replace some cows with four heifers I kept from last year; it is time for Diamond to go even if she is one of my younger cows.

Last evening I put Diamond and her calf in the loading corral.  And I hooked up the stock trailer and positioned it at the end of the loading corral runway.  That makes it less for me to do this morning.

I got up before 6 am.  I put out hay for the rest of the cows to eat later.  Donna came over and we loaded Diamond and her calf into the stock trailer.  Once I drove out of the corral I went and herded the cows into the corral so they could eat the hay in the corral.  Donna and I were off to the livestock auction at 6:45 am.

The drive went well and was uneventful.  We got to the auction around 9:15 am, unloaded Diamond and her calf, and were on our way back home before 10 am.  An uneventful drive back home and we got back after noon.

After eating breakfast it was time to clean the manure out of the stock trailer.   Donna brought over her pressure washer for me to use.  It worked great.  Normally I use a garden hose and a metal brush to clean the manure from the trailer and its floor mats, and it takes me about two and a half hours.  Using the pressure washer took me around a half hour.   Buying a similar pressure washer is now on my to-do list.

My typical view of the Mission Mountains near St. Ignatius.   Going down it looked like snow was starting in the mountains.  On the way home you can see how the clouds filled in and lowered, blocking the view to that gap in the mountains.

The view of Flathead Lake driving home.  Often over the lake and Flathead Valley it is cloudier than to the south.  Today the opposite was true.